CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Cadmus, EUI Research Repository HOW SIZE MATTERS: EUDO PORTUGAL AS REPORT 2014/06 AN EU MEMBER by RICHARD ROSE & ALEXANDER TRECHSEL This study has been published by the European University Institute, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European Union Democracy Observatory – EUDO. It has been commissioned and funded by the Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos. This study was initially published by the Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos in Portuguese and presented at the Conference Portugal participa- tion in the EU decision making: https://www.ffms.pt/en/conference-after/763/ portugal-participation-in-the-eu-decision-making © Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos, European University Institute, Richard Rose and Alexander H. Trechsel 2014 The European Union Democracy Observatory (EUDO, www.eudo.eu ) is an independent and inter disciplinary organisation fully-integrated within the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies (RSCAS) at the European University Institute. Its declared goals are: to translate scientific and acade mic research on the key issues of European democ- racy into policy relevant and publicly-understandable outputs, to produce a permanent and periodic evaluation of democratic practices within the EU and to develop practical suggestions for improving democratic performance in the EU. EUDO wants to serve as a forum where research results, experiences, ideas, and good practices can be exchanged between scholars and policy-makers. The mission of EUDO is above all to gather docu- mentation and data, to provide basic and applied research reports for EU institutions, and to foster dialogue between policy-makers, academics and EU citizens. Villa Paola Via dei Roccettini, 9 I-50014 San Domenico di Fiesole (FI) – Italy E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.eudo.eu Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this document are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos or the European University Institute. A study prepared in the framework of the European Union Democracy Observatory for the Fundacao Francisco Manuel dos Santos HOW SIZE MATTERS: PORTUGAL AS AN EU MEMBER Professor RICHARD ROSE & Professor ALEXANDER TRECHSEL Robert Schuman Centre, European University Institute At the European Union we have a seat at the table with big‘ countries and we also have a microphone. But we must be careful about how others around the table will react before we speak A small country’ ambassador to the European Union Τhere are two kinds of European countries: those that are‘ small and know it and those that are small and don’t A Belgian Prime Minister’ HOW SIZE MATTERS: PORTUGAL AS AN EU MEMBER 3 Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.................................... 5 INTRODUCTION:PARADOXES OF RELATIVE SIZE.............. 7 TAKING PORTUGAL’S MEASURE........................... 11 MAKING A SMALL STATE’S VOICE HEARD IN THE POLICY PROCESS............................................. 18 REPRESENTATION IN THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT........... 30 POLICY OUTPUTS...................................... 40 DEVELOPING SMARTER POWER............................ 46 HOW SIZE MATTERS: PORTUGAL AS AN EU MEMBER 5 6 HOW SIZE MATTERS: PORTUGAL AS AN EU MEMBER EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Most European Union members are small states, lacking the hard resources of states with a big national economy or army. To advance their goals in an EU setting, small states must rely on smart power. This involves identifying issues of national concern early in the policymaking process; endorsing consensus positions early in the process of policy deliberation; and build- ing alliances with countries with likeminded policy positions. I. The EU is divided into 6 big states and 21 median size and smaller states. Portugal’s population is 13 percent above the median EU country; its aggregate Gross Domestic Product is almost 90 percent below that of the four biggest members and its GDP per capita is 19 percent below the EU median. * Collectively, small states can prevent any single big state from dominat- ing the EU. * However, each small state is at risk of being lost in a crowd of small states. II. The policies of the European Union must reflect common interests of two dozen states. Portugal’s representatives in Brussels and the government in Lisbon must coordinate the preparation of positions that are acceptable both in Lisbon and in Brussels. * Portugal needs to emphasise common interests that include the coun- try’s specific priorities rather than distinctive national interests. * Endorsement of policies in the Council requires a super-majority of 255 of its 345 votes and Portugal has 12 votes. EU decisions are usually arrived at by lengthy negotiations leading to a consensus. Policies are arrived at by a process of bargaining. As long as policy goals are shared, Portugal’s small number of votes is not a handicap. * To influence policy, Portugal must joincoalitions with more than a dozen other member states, large and small. * A consensus is produced by EU committee discussions involving national civil servants and Commission officials. Once the chair of a committee declares a consensus has been reached, it is very difficult for a small country to challenge this judgment. Government ministers only become involved if there are grounds for political disagreement. HOW SIZE MATTERS: PORTUGAL AS AN EU MEMBER 7 * A well staffed Permanent Representative’s Office in Brussels is needed to formulate Portugal’s position on an issue at early stages of a discussion in order to avoid having to accept a fait accompli. III. TheEuropean Parliament is divided by party rather than by national- ity. Portugal’s 22 MEPs are divided between the two largest multi-national Party Groups, the European People’s Party and the Socialist Group, and the small United-Left/Nordic Green Group. Decisions in the EP normally require endorsement by a coalition of the People’s Party and Socialist Groups. * Politically able MEPs can leverage their influence by earning important posts in their multi-national Party Group. * EP decisions are usually taken by discussions in committees, Party Groups or negotiations with the European Commission. It takes time for individuals to learn how the complex multi-national EU system works. Portugal has a high turnover of MEPs: more than two-thirds of its MEPs elected in 2009 had not been members of the previous EP. * High turnover of MEPs is a consequence of individual and party deci- sions more than the result of shifts in the popular vote. IV. Budget policy reflects different formulas for raising and spending revenue. National contributions to the EU budget are determined by a formula based on national income, while EU spending is determined by formulas based on the need for economic and rural development and agri- culture. Portugal receives more than twice as much money from the EU as it contributes. * EU expansion to Eastern Europe and the Balkans increases the number of countries with stronger economic claims on EU funds than Portugal. CONCLUSION: Key requirements to exercise smart power include: * Actively seeking more ties with governments and public officials in Northern Europe and in Eastern Europe. * Nominating EP candidates who are prepared to spend two terms in the EP rather than leaving soon after learning to do their job there. * Mobilizing popular understanding of the constraints and opportunities that EU membership places on national government. 8 HOW SIZE MATTERS: PORTUGAL AS AN EU MEMBER INTRODUCTION:PARADOXES OF RELATIVE SIZE Small states join international organizations in order to deal with problems collectively that they cannot deal with effectively on their own. This is true of the European Union as it is of the United Nations. If being a big state means having the power to impose political decisions on other countries, then no member of the 27 - country EU is big, for none can determine EU policies on its own. However, states that have more resources find it easier to make their views known when they speak and to attract allies necessary to arrive at EU decisions. In a Union of half a billion people, small countries have fewer resources and must develop smart power in order to make their voices heard and be part of the coalitions that make EU policy. In relations between countries, absolute measures of size are less mean- ingful than relative measures. In global terms France or Germany is small compared to China but in an EU setting each is large compared to Portugal. Historically, big states could act without paying attention to concerns of small states and small states were decision-takers with little or no influence on big decisions. A political definition of a small state is that it is the weak partner in its relations with other states (Steinmetz and Wivel, 2010: 6f). In the past, small states sought to protect themselves from domination by keeping out of the way of bigger states, as Portugal did during the Second World War. The experience of war and economic incentives have encouraged smaller states to prefer being a junior partner in league with big states in intergov- ernmental institutions that make common policies to advance common goals. The European Union originated in intergovernmental treaties signed by three relatively large states, France, Germany and Italy, and three small states, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. By contrast with NATO, which places small states behind the military shield of a superpower, EU treaties confer equal legal status on all member states. Every country has a veto on policies of exceptional importance and every country is subject to the judgment of the European Court of Justice. Such constraints can cause problems for a big country that has been accustomed to thinking of itself as a great power. Small states do not have that problem, because their policies have always had to take into account the influence of big states.